"He [The president of the US] blamed cowardly NFL owners and players who insist on kneeling for the national anthem. “They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the national anthem, hand on heart.”

To which he added a tweet chaser: “Honoring America! NFL, no escaping to Locker Rooms.”

This was fib, misstatement, lie and baloney. Not a single Eagles player took a knee last year. And this spring the players have made clear with statement and tweet and words that they are simply embarrassed by “their” president and what a visit with him might come to represent.

Here’s Torrey Smith, a wide receiver for the Eagles last season, typing in plain English on Twitter: “So many lies, smh. Here are some facts: Not many people were going to go. No one refused to go simply because Trump ‘insists’ folks stand for the anthem. The President continues to spread the false narrative that players are anti-military.”"

"A report from SportsPundit.com that delved into instances of protest during the 2017 NFL season found that while a number of Eagles players demonstrated in some fashion (raising a fist, interlocking arms), no player knelt.

ESPN also kept a record of all the players who staged a protest during each week of the 2017 season. With the exception of the third week, when teams around the league held joint protests in response to remarks from Trump during a rally that any player kneeling was a “son of a bitch” who should be fired, a typical Eagles demonstration went as follows:"

Quote :

"Safety Malcolm Jenkins continued demonstrating for social justice by raising his first above his head during the national anthem before Sunday’s game against the Bears. Safety Rodney McLeod joined him by raising a fist. Defensive end Chris Long placed an arm around Jenkins as a sign of support, a gesture he has made since the events in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia, this past summer."